By Nthabiseng Makhokha

The news of Hiba Abouk and Achraf Hakimi’s divorce have taken headlines by storm, eliciting interesting observations from other celebrities and the public. The root cause of their contention, despite the shock of discovering Hakimi has all his assets registered under his mother’s name, is marred with rumours of infidelity and an ongoing investigation for an alleged sexual assault by Hakimi.

It was when Abouk approached the courts to file for divorce and claim half of Hakimi’s fortune that she was made aware of her husband’s status on paper. This sent the internet across the globe into a frenzy, with many weighing in on the matter and others simply sensationalising it.  

Although countless media outlets spun headlines to pile up numbers, it was the social commentary by netizens that revealed the prevalence of misogyny in our societies worldwide.

A Twitter user, Mr Black, tweeted: “Achraf Hakimi's mother has lived long enough to know these girls are the same. Smartest move I've seen in 2023.”

Ibim Prince responded to Mr Black, saying: “Very correct. I just suspected the way Hakimi's wife rushed to file for divorce even when the rape case he was accused of was still in court. She expected to cash out from the divorce, she has been anticipating but was surprised by Hakimi’s smart move.”

While many are praising Hakimi for keeping his assets under his mother’s name, some disagree.

Maria Fiorentino tweeted: “I feel like men are manifesting their frustrations through this divorce case. Like everything is based on a fake case just to win against women and to justify their misogyny. Literally they are even trying to justify the rape cause the girl wanted his money.”

UK rapper, Stephanie Victoria Allen, says women shouldn’t take men’s money if they didn’t contribute anything: “No woman should be entitled to half of a man’s earnings if she hasn’t struggled with and [helped] him get there.”

I feel like men are manifesting their frustrations through this divorce case. Like everything is based on a fake case just to win against women and to justify their misogyny. Literally they are even trying to justify the rape cause the girl wanted his money.

— Maria Fiorentino☭🌻🍓 (@mariafloridus) April 20, 2023

But who is Achraf Hakimi's wife? Hiba Abouk is a Spanish-Tunisian actress and is the youngest of four siblings. She is of Tunisian and Libyan descent and is known for her roles in various Spanish television shows and films that have gained her a significant following in Spain.

Her and her estranged husband, Achraf Hakimi, a professional football player for Paris Saint-Germain and the Moroccan national team, met in 2018 and got married in November 2019. The couple went on to have two children in 2020 and 2022.

In September 2021, it was reported that Abouk and Hakimi had separated, but the cause at the time was not really known. The news came as a surprise to many as the couple had only been married for just under two years. Reports suggested that the reason for their separation was due to personal differences between the two, and that they had been separated for several months before the latest announcement.

Neither Hakimi nor Abouk had publicly commented on the situation until recently. The news of their divorce had many speculating about the reasons behind it. Others speculated that there may have been infidelity, although there is no concrete evidence to support these claims.

It appears Abouk was successful in her own right before falling in love with Hakimi, so why the skewed perception by some that she was in it for the money?

An unpopular opinion by clinical psychologist, author and media commentator, Jordan Peterson, suggests that when looking for a suitable partner, women generally look for men who demonstrate signs of success to sort of “equalise the economic disparity” that occurs on women’s end from reproducing which takes a harder knock on them than men.

“They're looking for someone who can provide, and it's not because they're greedy precisely, it's because they put themselves in a more vulnerable position if they have a child. And we know this because even affluent women who have a child by themselves or who get divorced, tend to drop down the socio-economic hierarchy a fair bit, which is of course, why alimony payments and all of that are necessary,” says Peterson.

“So, this hypergamy means women are much more selective in their mating than men are and that's true cross culturally.”

If Abouk and Hakimi did not sign a prenuptial agreement before getting married, then Abouk is entitled to half of Hakimi’s fortune despite the period of their union. According to the matrimonial property regime in Spain, if there is no prenup, the community property matrimonial regime will be applicable. It states, “All gains and benefits that each spouse accumulated before the marriage will become common assets,” this includes everything gained after marriage. The law underscores this by stating, “Therefore, on divorce using the community property regime, each spouse will retain 50% of the common assets.”

Abouk is independent and successful, and this alone nullifies the idea that she was with her estranged husband for self-enrichment. And so, it’s not a question of whether Abouk deserves a share of Hakimi’s fortune, it’s that as per the law, she’s entitled to it.

Perhaps, the oddity of this whole story, is the congruent perpetuation that Abouk shoulders the shame of the divorce, and the expectation that she doesn’t stand up for herself and claim what’s rightfully hers. What’s even more bizarre, on the contrary, is that Hakimi may be entitled to half of Abouk’s fortune – which his supporters fervently approve of.

The bias in this conundrum reveals a deep-seated problem in our society that goes beyond the imposition that women feel entitled to men’s money.